The City Metro Police is not the best at police work, according to inspectors.
A information package A statement given to prospective police officers states that the Met is responsible for 'maintaining public order and is legally accountable for the exercise of police powers'.
But LondonHis Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) force failed to achieve an 'outstanding' or 'good' rating in eight key policing areas.
In his report for the 2023-2025 period, published today, Chief Inspector Lee Freeman concluded that the Met is performing well below expected baseline standards in seven areas.
He gave the Met's crime investigation and offender management unit the lowest rating: “inadequate.”
Scotland Yard 'must make improvements' in preventing crime, responding to the needs of the public, protecting vulnerable people, developing a positive workplace and managing its leadership and force.
Only the way in which the Met used its powers and dealt with the public was assessed as 'sufficient' by the inspectorate, which oversees emergency services.
“The inspectorate said the police had improved their response to the public and that most 999 and 101 calls are now answered promptly,” HMICFRS said.
But inspectors found significant problems in the standards of investigation and care for victims, particularly in crimes assigned to local teams.
They said police need to improve the quality and oversight of their investigations to ensure better outcomes for victims.
'The management of offenders and suspects was also a serious problem, with inconsistencies and delays noted.'
London has long been plagued by more crime than other cities in Britain. The overall crime rate in the capital was 88 crimes per 1,000 people in June, according to tracking website Crime rate.
However, inspectors found the Met has an “inexperienced workforce”, whether rank-and-file officers or their supervisors, who are trying to manage a workload that is “beyond their training and knowledge”.
The “culture of the police service means that some officers and staff are reluctant to speak out about bad behaviour”, it added, highlighting an independent report last year that described the Met as a “boys' club”.
Other findings show that nearly one in five visits to sex offenders arrives too late.
However, inspectors did praise the department's approach to stop and search, calling the practice “fair and effective” and saying that “the vast majority of reasons recorded for stop and search were reasonable”.
Freeman stressed that Met officials are working hard to transform the police force following declining public support and scandals (all part of the two-year 'A New Met for London' plan), but that change is slow.
The Met has also said it is scaling back its reform plans due to a £92m funding shortfall this year.
“While I commend the police for the progress they have made in responding promptly to calls from the public, I have serious concerns about the way the police are currently investigating crimes and how they are dealing with offenders and suspects,” Freeman said.
'I am aware that the police had already recognised before our inspection that better outcomes for victims needed to be achieved.
'However, these plans have not yet resulted in consistent improvements across the force. More work needs to be done to ensure this happens.'
The inspector's report only adds to the already long list of problems facing the beleaguered Met Police. Last year, a report labeled as one of the oldest police forces in the world as institutionally sexist, misogynist, racist and homophobic.
The reportcompiled by Member of the House of Lords Louise Casey, was ordered after the murder of Sarah Everard by a Met police officer in 2021. It came just a year after the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police watchdog, made more than a dozen recommendations for reforming the department.
In 2022, the Met was subject to special measures called 'Engage'.
Confidence in the Met has also steadily declined over time. BBC poll Last year, a survey of 1,000 Londoners found that 42% “strongly” or “somewhat” distrust the Met.
In a statement on X, the Met Police said authorities were “using all available resources to create greater trust, lower crime and high standards for London”.
The HMICFRS report underlines why this ongoing reform is needed. ONS data shows that trust in the Met is higher than in other major cities and that overall crime in London is lower than in other major cities,' the report says.
'It is positive that the inspectorate agrees that a new Met for London is the right plan to deliver improvements and that we are making progress.
'Since this inspection we have already agreed a plan to move forward with the enhanced HMICFRS monitoring (known as 'Engage').
'We are now carefully considering the findings, the core of which stems from our plans for a new London Underground network and the briefing we gave to HMIC.
'We continue to work closely with the Inspectorate, the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime and other partners to improve delivery for Londoners.'
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